POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Holy Cross women's basketball team traveled to Marist for a Sunday afternoon non-conference game at McCann Arena. A strong second half from Holy Cross forced Marist into overtime, but the Crusaders were just edged out 78-77.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After two minutes of scoreless play in the first quarter, Marist made three good shots from behind the arc for nine of their 12 points before the first media timeout. Senior guard Simone Foreman kept the Crusaders in it, scoring seven of Holy Cross's nine points through five minutes. The Red Foxes continued to attack, going 5-for-7 from deep for the 25-19 lead at the end of the opening period. Foreman and senior captain Meg Cahalan combined for 16 points for the Crusaders entering the second quarter.
• Holy Cross went on a 5-0 run at the beginning of the second, with freshman guard Brianna McDermott hitting a three-pointer to help the Crusaders catch up. Junior guard Hannah Griffin also netted a triple, her first points of the season, to tie the game 29-29 at the five-minute mark. A very back-and-forth 10 minutes resulted in Marist having a close 39-37 lead over Holy Cross. Holy Cross outshot the Red Foxes in the second, shooting 42.9% from the field. Marist's Justin Henry had a strong quarter, collecting five points and one steal to help the Red Foxes maintain a small lead.
• Marist came out firing in the third quarter, dropping five points to pull ahead and force the Crusaders to take a timeout. Holy Cross made defensive adjustments, but went scoreless for three minutes until junior guards Janie Bachmann and Kendall Eddy broke through to get the Crusaders within six. Senior captain Kaitlyn Flanagan hit three buckets in a row in the last two minutes of the quarter, but Holy Cross still trailed 58-49 to end the period. Marist's Jackie Piddock scored eight of her 11 points in the period.
• A huge scoring surge by the Crusaders closed the gap, led by Eddy (7 pts., 2 stl., 4 reb.), Griffin (3 pts., 1 stl., 1 ast.) and Flanagan (8 pts.) in the final quarter. With 30 seconds left, both teams were tied 72-72. Holy Cross made a stop to earn possession with 2 seconds left, but weren't able to convert, forcing the game into overtime.
• Strong defense from the Crusaders and a standout five minutes from Foreman (2 pts., 1 stl.) helped Holy Cross take a 76-75 lead over Marist with 18.9 seconds left in overtime. Griffin took charge to give Holy Cross the ball and Cahalan added to the Crusader lead on a made free throw for the 77-75 lead at 13 seconds. Piddock stole the lead for Marist, converting on a three-point play, to ultimately take the 78-77 win over Holy Cross.
• The Red Foxes were 28-for-62 from the field while the Crusaders shot 42%. Foreman had a season high 19 points for Holy Cross and Piddock tied with Henry to lead Marist with 21 points.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders (2-2) return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19, for a 6:00 pm tip-off at Rhode Island (4-1) in Kingston, R.I., at the Thomas M. Ryan Center.

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